 |
| Welcome to National Grid’s Tips of the Trade. National Grid is committed to your safety, and
these tips are intended to help you work safely near our facilities. Please review these tips
with your coworkers at your tailgate or toolbox meetings before work begins. |
|
|
| Safe digging laws |
| Utility service has never been more important. If you plan to dig or move earth in any way, remember to notify 811 well in advance to prevent damage to underground utilities. (And remember, you must hand dig to expose marked utility lines – do not use mechanized equipment. It’s the law.) You’ll be helping to keep yourself and your crew safe, as well as students and workers who may be telecommunicating from home. |
|
 |
|
| Please keep in mind that all aspects of the excavation industry are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and everyone’s resources have been affected. You can help prevent delays by notifying 811 of your planned excavation with as much lead time as possible: up to 10 working days for excavations in New York and 30 days in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
|
| State-mandated notification timeframes, ticket life and pre-marking requirements vary. Here is a summary for normal locate requests in the areas National Grid serves:
|
| Metro New York, Long Island and the Rockaways |
| |
| • |
|
Call New York 811 at 811 or 1-800-272-4480, or enter an online locate request at newyork-811.com at least two full working days but no more than 10 working days before any excavation starts, excluding the date of your request, weekends and legal holidays. |
|
| • |
|
Pre-mark your dig area with white paint, flags and/or stakes. (This is required by law if the dig site cannot be clearly or adequately described in your locate ticket.) |
|
| • |
|
The locate ticket is good for the life of your excavation, provided you begin within 10 working days of the initial request, do not stop work for more than 10 working days and you maintain the marks. |
|
| • |
|
The coverage area for locate tickets is not defined, but it is generally no more than one block and covering no more work than the excavator can do in a 10 day period. |
|
|
|
| |
| Upstate New York |
| |
| • |
|
Call Dig Safely New York at 811 or 1-800-962-7962, or enter an online locate request at digsafelynewyork.com at least two full working days but no more than 10 working days before any excavation starts, excluding the date of your request, weekends and legal holidays. |
|
| • |
|
Pre-mark your dig area with white paint, flags and/or stakes. (This is required by law if the dig site cannot be clearly or adequately described in your locate ticket.) |
|
| • |
|
The locate ticket is good for the life of your excavation, provided you begin within 10 working days of the initial request, do not stop work for more than 10 working days and you maintain the marks. |
|
| • |
|
The coverage area for a locate ticket is 500 feet or one block, whichever is greater. Each property in a project must have a separate locate ticket. |
|
|
|
| |
| Massachusetts and Rhode Island |
| |
| • |
|
Call Dig Safe® at 811 or 1-888-DIG-SAFE (344-7233), or enter an online locate request at digsafe.com at least 72 hours but no more than 30 days before any excavation starts, excluding weekends and legal holidays. |
|
| • |
|
Pre-mark your dig area using white paint, flags and/or stakes. |
|
| • |
|
Your digging project must start within 30 days from the day your Dig Safe ticket is issued, or the ticket expires. |
|
| • |
|
In Massachusetts, your ticket remains valid for 30 days. |
|
| • |
|
In Rhode Island, tickets do not expire as long as the marks are maintained. |
|
| • |
|
A locate ticket’s coverage area is unlimited. |
|
|
|
| Emergency exceptions |
Of course, if you must respond to an emergency – such as a threat to life, health,
property or essential public services, like a broken water main or sewer line – these requirements do not apply. In this case, call 811 as soon as possible to request
immediate emergency assistance. |
| |
 |
|
| For more contractor safety information, visit ngridsafety.com. |
|
|
|
| Call 811 or enter an online request at least 72 hours before digging in Massachusetts and Rhode Island (excluding weekends and legal holidays) and at least two full working days in New York (excluding the date of your call, weekends and legal holidays).
It’s the law! |
|
|
|
| To report emergencies, call 911 and National Grid immediately. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
